About Lily

Born and raised in Miami, Florida Sophomore in CALS Trained dancer since I was 3 years old

A Cambodian Surprise

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Lily

About a week ago, the Rose Scholars received an unexpected guest speaker named Andrew Mertha who spoke about the history of Cambodia and how China played a major role in influencing its development. As a speaker, Professor Mertha was a very entertaining, well-spoken, and engaging lecturer who was unafraid of admitting the large amounts of stress that his research brought on. Much of his work stemmed from the changes in world powers after World War II.

Professor Mertha discussed being rejected by a an entire organization network in his search for classified documents until he was able to pay Cambodian workers to allow him access to a plethora of Chinese archives that held the information he was looking for. These documents detailed engineering plans for Cambodian development, but he was not able to decipher its contents until after a student of his was able to connect him to her grandmother who had friends that worked in the mines during World War II and could translate the information for him. Seeing and hearing how passionate he was about his work made listening to the journey all the more educational and interesting, for I never knew how closely tied China was to Cambodia.

It was a very informative session, one that none of the scholars could have expected, but it was well received especially during this period leading up to final exams. We hope that his study abroad program in Cambodia continues to grow and look forward to having him speak with us again in the future.

College versus Life

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Lily

Last week Professor Schwarz came to the Rose Scholars Cafe to talk about his novel and go through the topics that he mentions throughout it. I recall last semester when he came to speak to us about how to survive college in general, so this time it was interesting to hear about the components of his novel and how we can apply it to where we are currently in our college experience. I really appreciated how he took the time to address how each circumstance that he mentions would affect every student differently depending at what level they are in their career.

For instance, during freshmen year, it is easy to immerse oneself into what they think college is supposed to be like and get lost along the way. Over-working and over-stressing comes easily because so many factors have changed; responsibility, work ethic, and relationships to mention a few. Sophomore year feels more comfortable, and students enter it with a steadier foot, looking forward to joining their friends and starting the semester with less nerves then before. Junior year comes with its own pressures, because the reality of needing to find a good internship that could potentially lead to one’s future career is at hand. However the classes one enrolls in are a lot more interesting and provide a better idea of what their career path may consist of. Some believe education ends with one’s senior year in college, but from there begins a whole new chapter in every students life. New jobs, new places, more opportunities, the ability to apply one’s skills to make a difference however small.

That is the part that stuck with me the most, knowing that at some point in everyone’s life, they will have the chance to make a difference in other peoples’ lives, in their families lives, and ultimately in their own. One never stops learning, but the knowledge that they have attained thus far can be used to help others and begin to pass down what they know to future generations. More obstacles appear as well, but the sense of achievement and progress gets stronger with each coming year. It was great to hear about Schwarz’s outlook on various situations, especially understanding how it changes with students from different cultural and economic backgrounds. At the end of the day, what matters is not necessarily the grade one gets but the experiences gained along the way and proving to oneself that they are capable of much more then they realize.

Finding Your Happy Place

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Lily

The Rose Scholars Cafe last week touched on how stress affects students on a consistent basis and provided suggestions as to how one could better deal with the impact that school has on a student’s health. Basically, stress can be noted if a person feels tension in their body, feels pressure in their head, gets anxious, feels their jaw tighten, or any number of bodily expressions. The problem is finding a way to treat the issue of stress, because it quickly impacts a person’s lifestyle without one noticing typically.

As a student as Cornell, receiving nine hours of sleep is unheard of, because of all of the extra curricular activities that students chose to get involved in while attending college. Skipping meals, getting on average five hours of sleep, and over exerting oneself are typical of a normal student. Yet, if more students could find a way to better program their schedules to fit in more time for relaxation, a healthy diet, and occasional leisure time, perhaps enjoying everyday college life may come easier.

Cornell offers so many opportunities for its students to get involved with different organizations, research opportunities, and jobs that it is not difficult to over due one’s commitments which eventually leads to not getting enough sleep or skipping meals. This then makes it difficult to stay awake in class or pay attention, and work is not as efficiently completed because one’s body and mind is simply struggling to find the energy to keep pushing forward. Luckily, Cornell’s own on campus medical facility Gannett offers various resources for students to reach out to if they are in need of assistance.

With the new expansion that Gannett is going through, it will better accommodate the large quantity of students on campus that are seeking assistance. Ultimately, this can only benefit the campus as a whole, and by promoting healthier living habits on campus, students will hopefully find a balance in their schedule between school and their own health, mental and physical.

Our Planet, Our Problem

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Lily

Last week, Dr. Dawit Solomon from the School of Integrative Plant Science, Soil and Crop Sciences Section, spoke with the Rose scholars about his research on soils in parts of the world where soil degradation is occurring. By analyzing the processes of earth’s carbon cycle, research has proven the amount of carbon dioxide that is contained in soil is more than all the carbon in earth’s atmosphere. This is an issue that is very prevalent in today’s society with global warming becoming a greater issue and organic foods becoming more popular.

My grandparents live in Peru, and all of their life, both income and dietary needs, has depended on their crops. It is beautiful to travel to Peru and see the vast amount of agricultural diversity that is possible due to the different climates that can be found in the country. But maintaining the soil is essential because if not the crops are not as productive and thus the families that depend on this source of food are at risk of not having enough to eat during the year.

Our planet is the only one of its kind that we have found so far, and soil degradation does not seem like a major problem yet, but it is something that needs to be accounted for. Dr. Solomon’s research has lead to the creation of phosphoric beads that can be placed into the earth to help bring about greater food production and lead to a better life for people living in poverty, in particular in Africa. By preserving our soil and finding a way to help the less fortunate in the world, preserving our world will help everyone in the long run.

Can Everyone’s DREAM Come True?

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Lily

On March 16, Esmeralda Arrizón-Palomera, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of English, talked about the infamous DREAM Act during the Rose Scholars Café. Basically, this document allows children who live in the United States but are undocumented to have a chance to receive an education by granting them temporary residency in the country. It is not an official law, and there are various specific requirements as to what it means to be an undocumented citizen. Ideally, after a student completes their education, the hope is that they will receive permanent residency in the United States, which means the world to so many young adults who live with fear of getting deported.

When I first heard of this policy, it seemed like such a wonderful movement that our nation was taking in acknowledging the hard work of many of its citizens. So many families has left their countries of birth in search of a better life in the United States, away from persecution, corruption, and terrorism. Ultimately, the hope that finding a better life with more opportunities for their children lies somewhere else in the world is what drives them to do whatever possible to make it to this country. “America is the land of opportunities,” and although many critics have recently begun arguing against this statement, I believe that it holds much truth to this day.

My parents were illegal immigrants and became citizens between the years 1995-2000. It goes without saying that their main motivation to leave Peru was the hope of a better life that awaited them. The DREAM Act provides so much hope for children that were brought here by their families and want to achieve more then what they could have in their nome country. Especially in Latin American countries, of which many I can speak from personal experience, receiving an education is so difficult that unless you have government ties or are involved in the oil trade, there is not much hope in becoming anything more then a lower middle class worker. Yes, I believe every job has its value, but every person wants what is best for their family, and sadly Latin American countries do not offer any other choice but to remain in the status you are born into.

For this reason, I believe that the DREAM Act should be revised and passed in this country. If we believe in universal equal opportunities, then movements such as these are what our country needs to keep moving forward. These families know better than anyone else what it takes to “make it” in this country, and to reward their kids with the security of knowing that they can truly call this place their home and achieve whatever they desire through a proper education is a wonderful gift to provide them with.

It Doesn’t Make Sense

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Lily

Yesterday our very own house professor-dean Garrick Blalock spoke to us about his work in East Africa regarding the clean cook stove. He spoke to us about the projects he has implemented to better the lives of the poor in this region be demonstrating various personal pictures that he took as records of the lifestyle and location these people were living in. It was interesting to see how communicating was an issue in terms of explaining to the inhabitants of the area that their way of cooking was causing them more harm in the long run. Once they seemed to get an idea of trying to trying out another person’s invention, the next step was to teach them how to assemble the stove and use it properly. It so happens that after various attempts, and various stoves were given to families for trial purposes, about half of the families had done away with their stoves, leaving them no where to be found.

The irony, or disappointment, is that the three stone stoves that these families originally used were releasing carbon dioxide in to the air. When cooking is done inside the home, with children playing around the house all day, and this smoke leaving a black tar like residue on the walls were the smoke hits, it makes sense that it would negatively impact their bodies. About 8 million people die each year due to respiratory issues; that is double the amount the die due to malaria. So this invention was supposed to improve the lives of these people who are considered destitute, but it appears that was not the case.

Perhaps the lack of knowledge that these people have in regards to understanding the affects that the toxic air has on them is the reason why they do not attempt to alter their way of life. It could also be that their pride in maintaining their way of life is coming between making a better overall decision. Perhaps a more affective approach would be to personalize the issue by focusing on the relationship between mother and child, or mother and family, and hope the best thing for them would be to implement this new technology. Overall, it was a fabulous lecture, and more importantly it sparked all of the Rose Scholars interests – I would like to believe – in trying to better understand why this is happening.

A Cornell Tale Between Two Fields

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Lily

A week ago, the Rose Scholars Cafe had the privilege of having Adam Schwartz speak to us about the new Jacobs Technion Cornell Institute being created on Roosevelt Island. The purpose of this new facility is to allow graduate students to learn how both business and technology go hand in hand; the idea is that the stronger an individual is in both fields the more prepared they will be for different forms of work. After hearing this lecture, I found that as a student pursuing a business and economics minor, it never occurred to me to take any sort of computing class while at Cornell. It always seemed like an area of interest that either engineers or computer science majors would look into. I am now realizing the diversity that comes with being able to understand both areas and how beneficial it can be when wanting to form a start up or conduct one’s own research.

Additionally, it is a gorgeous facility that is located close to New York City which allows so many other doors to open up to its students. The format of the classes is also beneficial in that students and teachers are working alongside one another to work and grow together. It makes sense that most of the tasks are done as a group because it allows the students to learn how to interact with one another on a different level and collaborate their findings with each other. As someone who wishes to pursue a graduate degree, this is certainly an appealing option for me to look into for the future. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and commitment that director Schwartz has clearly placed into this project. I can not wait to visit the building when it is complete.

No Funny Business, Literally

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Lily

This week, Rose Scholars Cafe invited Associate Professor in the Department of History, and House Fellow at Flora Rose House Aaron Sachs to speak about the humor that has come from different circumstances, many of which are fairly serious. He begun his talk by mentioning stories about his deceased Jewish grandfather and how he inspired him through humility and jokes. After, he mentioned that as humans, we categorize information into concrete versus abstract ideas. For instance it is clear in our minds that Sach’s grandfather passed away, but as to weather he was Jewish, humble, and funny are all open to questioning. This was followed by watching various video clips of parodies about issues that our country faces economically, politically, and socially.

I had personally never realized how some of the funniest propaganda articles and tv commercials get my attention because the topics being exaggerated are true, to a certain extent. Issues such as discrimination, separation of church and state, and new political policies are occurrences that should not be taken lightly. However, it is not really until producers in the media make fun of these issues that they get the publics attention and cause people to consider the importance of the situation. Also, it is surprising how of the many “gallows humor” that has gained popularity as of late, there are no references to climate change in particular. In terms of fracking, global warming, deforestation, and many other issues affecting our environment, there really aren’t any sources that have taken the time to joke about this topic. Is leads to questioning if perhaps the public does not take matters of climate change seriously because the degree to which they could affect the world had not been exaggerated enough to grab the publics attention.

As a communications major, this discussion related a lot to the topics covered in my class and how media plays such a large role in the spreading information fast and vastly. With all of the new avenues of social media, it will be interesting to see how communicating serious matters that affect our environment will soon begin to change in terms of the amount of new information that is available to everyone and the processes of getting the message across.

Melancholy, It Affects Us All

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Lily

Last week Rose Scholars had the pleasure of having Sara Schlemm, a PhD candidate in the English department at Cornell University, discuss her research on the difference between melancholy and sadness. One would think that they are the same, given that I knew melancholy was a state of sadness, perhaps deeper but associated with the same emotion. However, comparing its affects in literature and film, it was evident that there was a difference of portraying it to the audience and causing them to enter a mood rather than just feel a temporary emotion. Schlemm used the example of the novel and movie Vertigo as an example of how the protagonist entered a state of madness practically because his mind was constantly revolving around the murder that had occurred and the web of lies he had formed.

It makes one think about the affects that movies and propaganda have on an audience and if the creator of such items had that intention to begin with. There are commercials of neglected animals, child abuse, and addiction that can strike a chord in someone so deep that it truly can affect them for the rest of their life. Perhaps the outcome is not necessarily melancholic, but the bases for their actions resulted from this stage of deeper sadness, one that caused them to really think about their subject matter of interest. Although one may think that someone who is sad is in a bad state in their life, that does not necessarily mean that the person is being harmed by their experience. There is certainly a level of growth that comes with thought process and really trying to understand why one feels the way they do and if they can possibly do something to alter that feeling not only in themselves but in others as well.

This talk was very interesting in that I love psychology I could relate melancholy to how it affects one mentally. It was inspiring to see a graduate student present their work and see their passion for it as well.

Changing What is Common

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Lily

Lisa Nicholas was kind enough to be our guest speaker at the Rose Cafe last week and talk about the new innovations that are happening in our very own Ithaca Commons. Very soon there will be two new hotels, a Marriot and a Hilton, on either side of the Commons and not surprisingly this is causing the local Ithaca community to worry about the impact they will have.

When the Commons was first created, the Mayor of Ithaca had many local business owners and family members stand along the length of a long red ribbon and share in cutting it as a symbol of community. There are not many large food or clothes shops in the area, but overall it is a nice place within walking distance to stroll through with friends, family, and loved ones. The idea that locals interact with one another on a daily basis and college students spend time there to separate themselves from campus for a little bit demonstrates that the place offers a unifying experience.

With the new construction of hotels, and the cost of staying in one for a night, there may be a dynamic change in regards to the feeling one gets when being in the Commons. Also, there is not a lot of room in terms of sidewalk space and seating areas, so a new influx of people may cause there to be a sense of overcrowding during the weekends or on breaks. On a more positive note, it will be good for the local businesses in that they will receive more customers. It will also provide for more lodging in terms of families that wish to visit their children in college during the year. Only time will tell how this new innovation in Ithaca will affect its residents and ambiance. For now, it is safe to say that the community is very strong and interconnected, so the fear of loosing that sense of integration will thus allow it to remain firm as time progresses.

Gave My Heart to a Piece of Art

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Lily

On Thursday, the Johnson Museum of Art introduced new exhibits for the start of the spring semester. The last time that I had visited this beautiful museum was about two years ago when I came to visit Cornell as a senior in high school. Honestly, I had forgotten how absolutely breathtaking all of the exhibits are. To start off, in the main lobby of the museum was a wonderful layout of wines, appetizers, and hot apple cider to begin the evening. Upon meeting up with some fellow Rose Scholars, we began exploring the various floors in the building starting with the basement level.

As soon as we walked onto the floor, there was a wonderful layout of large pillows on a small sky painted stage where visitors were encouraged to sit on and relax together. Another stage with the same sky like painting on it had a section that was burnt with large twigs piled over it like a tipi. One stage said “the sun is gone but we have the light,” while the other said “the fire is gone but we have the light.” Each floor up has different sections that displayed a different set of artwork, from precolonial artwork, to pictures, to lasers, to tribal patterns.

But there was a single piece of artwork that touched my heart the instant I saw it. At the beginning of the reception, guests were handed a heart so that they could “give their own heart” to a piece of art that they saw in the museum. The painting titled “Piazza Dei Ponziani,” courtesy of American born artist Stan Taft, is this incredibly simplistic oil painting on aluminum in which a man and a woman are sitting on two stools holding hands facing one another. Although you can only see from their arms down, it feels like the image came to life when I saw it and all I could think about was love. The imagery was simply so raw and full of emotion in that one painting that I could not help but give it “my heart.” Personally, it demonstrated hope, passion, love, life, and companionship in such a beautiful way that only artwork can.

I plan on returning to the museum the next opportunity I get and I highly encourage anyone who has an hour to spare to walk around the Johnson Museum, especially since I feel that most students take it for granted. There is an event this weekend for Valentine’s weekend, so what a better day to spend quality time with those you love while falling in love with something that words can not begin to describe.

Compton Comes to Cornell

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Lily

This Sunday, the Cornell Cinema screened Straight Out of Compton with a special live performance by Cornell’s BreakFree Hip Hop Dance Troupe. As a member of BreakFree, I must say that it was wonderful getting to perform with my dance family to introduce a film that speaks truth about the history of rap. From the very beginning of the film, one can see that the people involved in this type of music genre came from the tougher areas of the neighborhood. During the mid 1980s, this music defined the struggle that many black communities faced in upholding their rights against law enforcement. Rap became an avenue for people to express the injustice they faced for the color of their skin and the assumption that they were less than upper working class individuals in society.

As a dancer, rap not only started a new generation of music, but it influenced an entire community of artists. Styles such a Krumping, Popping, and Wacking evolved with this genre of music and the modifications it has gone through over the years. It is said that “dance is a conversation between the body and soul of a person.” It is an art form that allows on to speak their voice without resorting to violence or illegal measures. Straight Out of Compton provides a realistic portrayal of racial discrimination a little over thirty years ago, which in a way demonstrates how much society’s views have changed over a short period of time. It is inspiring as an artist to see how people struggled to believe in themselves and risked society not accepting their passion as a way of life. It humbles me to see where the roots of rap and R&B began in a way and the dedication that went into striving for a better way of life.

Overall, I highly recommend everyone to watch this movie, children preferably with an adult due to some explicit content. It is funny, it is raw, and it demonstrates how far a person can go to fight for what they believe in and how it can have a rippling effect for many years to come.

Rose Scholars Spring 2016

Explore, challenge, connect

Author Archives: Lily